Opening: Thursday 15/10/15 at 19:30Performance at the opening: Made in Germany by AnaGuided tour and gallery talk with the curator starting at the Benyamini Center at 11:30 – continuing to Contemporary and Meshuna galleriesClosing: Saturday 14/11/15

The exhibition follows the German artist Josef Beuys (1921 – 1986) and his influence on Israeli art from the sixties until today. This manifests not only in the visual arts through the materials and ideas, but also in political and social aspects and the manner in which art is taught in art schools in Israel. The exhibition raises key questions including: Why was Beuys selected to be the leading artist in Israeli art history, especially considering his military history in Germany during the Second World War? What were the conditions in Israel that allowed this? How do these conditions express themselves in the visual arts, education and politics? How did Israeli art adopt and translate his doctrine as well as his social, psychological stance after the trauma of the Second World War in comparison to the trauma of the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War? These issues are examined through the concept of mannerism as a phenomenon of variations, repetition, distortion and obsession.
The exhibition is divided in various locations in Israel; Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Sderot. There are about 75 participants that appear in different groups shows and each space focuses on a different aspect of Beuys and Israeli art. The exhibition is accompanied by a collection of texts and articles, both old and new, by: Ruth Debel, Yona Fisher, Dorit Levita-Hertman.. There is also a website for the various exhibitions with texts and information about the different locations.

Nehama Golan | נחמה גולן

Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center

Beuys, Beuys, Beuys

Material, Science, Sin and Pride

Josef Beuys is identified with materials such as felt, fat, honey and more. These materials are common in his practice and are the lexicon used to read his works considering his personal biography and lifestyle. The artists selected for the exhibition at the Benyamini Center show works that are predominantly about materiality and the first reading of the work is made through the various media. Stone and clay are the connecting elements and used associatively in this exhibition; the stone drawings by Tal Yerushalmy , the image of Hinda Weiss on the stony earth of Mizpe Ramon with Israeli buck , and the additional horned animal in the works by Yonatan Ofek. The archaeological collection of Gabi Krichli and the stone collection of Hasan Khatar are collections ranging between reality and fabrication.
Repent and repair in its religious mythical form is a recurrent theme in the works of Beuys. This appears in the works as material that conducts electricity, or insulates and connects. Nehama Golan shows clay tablets and Yoav Admoni preserves the spirit in the energy of a stone. Amendment of sin and pride is expressed in the rolled jute sacks presented by Dvora Morag in which she has planted seedlings and Arian Litman plants trees in the footsteps of Beuys and offers for sale healing products. She also shows a frame from a beehive with an image that reminds one of a deserted city. Bees are present in the work of Ruth Noam and relate to the utopian bee hive structures designed by Eldar Sharon – a leading architectural firm in Israel. The exhibition also shows several items of clothing by Noa Tavori and Gil Shahar and some reflective photographs by Chen Drori, Hagar Cygler and Jacques Jano, completing the circle with the performance by Ana.